Knowledge hub
Visa guides and explainers
Written the way we actually assess a matter: what the visa is, the factors that decide it, and what typically goes wrong. General information, not advice.
Work for an Australian employer
Subclass 482
Skills in Demand visa
How the Skills in Demand visa works: sponsorship, nomination, streams, and the factors a Registered Migration Agent assesses before a case is built.
Subclass 186
Employer Nomination Scheme visa
How the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa works: its three streams, and the factors a Registered Migration Agent assesses before a case is built.
Skilled migration
Subclass 190
Skilled Nominated visa
How the subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa works: state nomination, the points test, invitation mechanics, and how it compares to 189 and 491.
Subclass 491
Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa
How the subclass 491 regional visa works: nomination routes, the points test, the regional-area condition, and the path to subclass 191.
Study, and staying on after study
Subclass 500
Student visa
What the subclass 500 Student visa covers, where an application can be made after the October 2026 changes, the Genuine Student requirement, and the criteria a migration agent assesses before lodgement.
Subclass 485
Temporary Graduate visa
How the Temporary Graduate visa works: study and timing rules, the current streams, and what a Registered Migration Agent checks before a case is built.
Visit or working holiday
Subclass 600
Visitor visa
What the subclass 600 Visitor visa streams cover, the genuine visitor test, condition 8503, and the criteria a migration agent checks before lodgement.
Subclass 417
Working Holiday visa
How the Working Holiday visa works: the six month work limitation, second and third visa requirements, and the factors a Registered Migration Agent assesses before a case is built.
Recent updates and common questions
Update · 19 October 2026
Student visa changes from 2 October 2026: who can still apply in Australia
From 2 October 2026, most further Student visa applications must be made from outside Australia, more visa holders cannot switch onshore, and dependants are limited. What changed, and what did not.
Common question · 11 October 2026
Can a Perth employer sponsor overseas workers through the WA DAMA?
The Western Australian DAMA covers metropolitan Perth as well as the regions. This guide covers endorsement, the labour agreement, the concessions and care-sector employers.
Common question · 9 October 2026
Bridging Visa A not granted before a visa ends: what the law says
A visa application made in Australia often includes an application for a Bridging Visa A. What the law says if that bridging visa has not been granted by the time the current visa ends.
Update · 2 October 2026
The September 2026 migration announcements: what is law, and what is not yet
Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 took effect on 19 September 2026, and the student visa changes on 2 October 2026. The rest of the package announced on 17 September is not law. What that difference means for applications on foot.
What decides most cases
Most refused or stalled applications trace back to one of these five. Each explainer covers how the constraint works and the questions an agent asks about it.
Explainer
The section 48 bar: what it stops you applying for onshore
The section 48 bar under the Migration Act stops most onshore visa applications after a refusal or cancellation. Here is how it works and what agents check.
Explainer
Public Interest Criterion 4020: bogus documents and false information
How Public Interest Criterion 4020 works, the exclusion periods it triggers, when a waiver applies, and how an agent assesses this risk in a case.
Explainer
Health and character requirements: PIC 4005, PIC 4007, and the character test
How the health criteria (PIC 4005 and 4007) and the section 501 character test work, when a waiver is available, and how an agent assesses this in a case.
Explainer
The skilled migration points test: how the 189, 190 and 491 are actually scored
How the Schedule 6D points test scores age, English, employment, qualifications, partner and nomination factors, and where the count typically goes wrong.
Explainer
Skills assessments for migration: why occupation choice decides everything
How skills assessments work in General Skilled Migration, which authority assesses which occupation, and the failure patterns a Registered Migration Agent watches for.
Where this fits your circumstances is a consultation question
A Registered Migration Agent assesses your position against current law and, if your matter needs one, writes a strategy.